


Toward the Sun

by AwayLaughing



Series: All The Days That Have Passed [29]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Future Fic, M/M, Slice of Life, Teaching
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-08
Updated: 2015-01-08
Packaged: 2018-03-06 15:53:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,863
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3140027
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AwayLaughing/pseuds/AwayLaughing
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Spring is a time for change and renewal. New things are on the horizon for Neji and Shikamaru both. Together, however, they're in a perfectly comfortable place.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Toward the Sun

**Author's Note:**

> [Day 29 - Planning for the future](http://awayandlaughing.tumblr.com/post/68217772129/30-day-otp-challenge-for-the-fluff-impaired)

Neji stared at the Hokage, who in turn stared at the mask on his desk. Neither said anything beyond the words exchanged and Neji stayed stock still, barely moving.

 

“It's for the best, really,” Kakashi finally said. “I was starting to worry I might need to outsmart a Nara assassination.” The visible grey eye curved in a smile Neji didn't return. “That was a joke.”

 

“I'm aware,” Neji said. Kakashi's smile didn't slip.

 

“You know, the quartermaster was very proud of herself. A sun for a Hyūga,” Kakashi tapped the swirling red design around the right eye. “I told her you didn't have a sense of humour, but you never traded up.”

 

“I liked it,” Neji said. “People found it intimidating, I'm told.”

 

Kakashi gave a short bark of laughter. “You sound like my old captain,” he said, “he retired around the same age you are now, you know.”

 

Neji cocked an eyebrow. “I don't regret my decision,” he said. “I talked it out with Shikamaru and had two months to think about it.”

 

Kakashi's smile took a slightly less forced cast.

 

“Well then, enjoy your week off Neji.”

 

* * *

 

Four months later, Neji was laying on the couch for lack of anything else to do when a set of files were unceremoniously dumped on his face. Scowling, he pushed them aside and sat up to glare at Shikamaru who just smirked, unrepentant.

 

“Was that necessary?” he asked and Shikamaru shrugged, taking the chair across from him.

 

“No, but it was funny,” he said. “I've come to end your crisis.” Neji cocked a brow. “You've been pouting over your relaxed work since you left ANBU, and with the chūnin exams coming up jōnin sensei are scooping up everything below A rank faster than you can say _I'm bored_.” He toed one of the files toward Neji. “So I am here to help. Like a good lover should be.”

 

Neji picked up the file and opened it to a mildly familiar face. Wide, white eyes, a faint smile and long, pitch black hair falling around her face in wild curls. Hyūga Suzume was related to Neji about as distantly as you could get and still be part of the clan, he couldn't even remember what her father's name was. Her mother was a medic, though and Neji had exploited that a few times in his youth.

 

Neji picked up the next file. A boy with white-blond hair and dark, worried eyes. Gekkō Yuudai. The next was a green haired girl with lopsided bangs, Aojima Momo. Quirking his eyebrow Neji looked at Shikamaru.

 

“You're joking,” he said and Shikamaru grinned, standing. Neji leaned back as the other advanced. “Do not try and distract me,” he warned. Shikamaru's smile grew.

 

“You don't have to pass whoever you get,” the Nara said, settling with one leg on either side of Neji's lap. “But if you accept you're needed in the jōnin lounge at seven to battle it out for your picks. I hear it takes a very long time.” Lips brushed his. “All night, even.”

 

“I should do my homework, then,” Neji said, even as he slid a hand up the back of Shikamaru's shirt, feeling now familiar scars and warm skin.

 

“But you have two hours,” Shikamaru said, and Neji chuckled as the Nara dipped in for a kiss.

 

“So I'll get one of those for reading up, hmm?”

 

* * *

 

The jōnin lounge held an interesting array of people. It wasn't often you saw Tatami Iwashi, Mitarashi Anko and Ebisu in one room, willingly. The results were loud, right until Neji walked in. The eight jōnin present all went quiet, staring, until Kurenai came to his rescue.

 

“Neji, we were wondering who our tenth was going to be,” she smiled widely, “Kiba will be pleased.”

 

“What about?” came the Inuzuka's voice seconds later. Neji half turned to look at him, smirking at the wrinkled nose he earned. “Damn. Kakashi fucking hates these kids, doesn't he?”

 

“One can only assume,” Neji said, taking a seat Izumo kicked toward him. Kiba flopped onto the couch, forcing Iwashi to half-clamour onto Kurenai's lap.

 

“Sorry Kurenai,” he muttered, hauling himself onto the back of the couch. “That's everyone, then?”

 

“Yessiree,” Anko said, immediately throwing thirty files onto the table they were arranged around. “Let the melee begin!”

 

“Or not,” Kurenai cut in, picking a few of the files up. “Let's sort, first.”

 

A few of the people who had done this more than once, Kiba included, groaned but the Inuzuka dutifully grabbed for some files all the same. Neji followed suit.

 

“Based off strongest ability, I assume?” he said and Kurenai nodded, tossing a file down.

 

“Genjustsu inclined students there,” she said and Kiba tossed another down right after.

 

“And taijutsu there,” he grinned, “that Hyūga why you're here?”

 

“Not at all,” Neji said, flipping open his first file. Aojima, again. He tossed her onto the table, having already read it. “Ninjutsu there.”

 

“Right then,” Anko said, opening her own file, “let's get this over with.”

 

"Don't forget to add a fuinjutsu pile if it applies," Kurenai said and someone muttered _finally_ before there was a shuffle of paper and people with files got started.

 

Neji opened his next file, Hagane Yachi, and skimmed it, putting her on the taijutsu pile after a moment. Two more followed from Anko, and Neji tuned out the chatter that rose around him. He had the feeling Shikamaru was right and he was in for a long night.

 

* * *

 

They settled their argument at the wonderful hour of five AM, though it had been a bitter fight for the top students and they'd only just barely avoided bloodshed. Several people had tried to foist Suzume on him, though Neji had refused. The clan got edgy when he dealt with any training, he didn't want to be dragged into any arguments he could avoid. So instead she'd gone to Kiba, who'd gladly taken her given his familiarity with Hinata's training from the same age.

 

Neji's own prospective students had been interesting fights. Kurenai had wanted one of them very badly, but Neji had held fast. Yanagi Nana wasn't clan of any sort, but she was an excellent balance for the other two he had and he wasn't about to let her go just because he had a soft spot for some of the older jōnin. Not that it necessarily mattered. He had until nine to submit his requests, and Kakashi would change  the teams as he felt fit. Gai-sensei had once admitted Neji had been added to his team, the original request had been for the Inuzuka in their year. He'd never said who had originally wanted Neji.

 

Neji didn't take it personally, however, knowing Gai-sensei had born some misgivings about having to train the byakugan until Neji clarified the clan would do that and wouldn't much appreciate anyone sticking their nose in it. Which, hilariously, had lead to Gai insisting on checking in on his family training ever week or so.

 

Smiling at the memory as he stepped into the house Neji slipped off his sandals and walked into the living room, stopping in surprise when he found Shikamaru cross legged on the floor.

 

“Morning,” Shikamaru said, not looking up. A pair of glasses were perched on his nose, something Neji rarely saw given Shikamaru didn't actually need glasses. “Coffee's coming.”

 

“Were you up all night?” Neji asked, unable to think of any other reason Shikamaru would still be up. Shikamaru could wake up before seven, if you really planned ahead of time and had tonnes of coffee ready, but before six? Shikamaru would rather commit seppuku while stuck in a time loop.

 

“No, but I got a very terrible wake up call from one of Kakashi's dogs,” he finally looked up. “I'm going kill him one of these days.”

 

“I wouldn't. He's prepared,” Neji said, pressing a kiss to Shikamaru's head as he passed. “I'll bring you coffee,” he said, “finish...” he peered at the paper and cocked an eyebrow, “the academy syllabus?”

 

“Kill. Him,” Shikamaru said again. “They need it along with your report, for reasons unfathomable. Troublesome make-do work, if you ask me.”

 

“No one did,” Neji said with as much kindness as he could summon given his own lack of sleep. And amusement. Shikamaru sent him a wounded pout, but did turn back to looking over the various overhauls to the system.

 

“They want to pare down my fūinjutsu changes,” Shikamaru called as Neji entered the kitchen. “Why do we keep dinosaurs in charge again?”

 

“It's good for your family's business,” Neji said, pouring a large cup of coffee for Shikamaru and less oversized one for himself. Shikamaru didn't take sugar or any cream in his, and Neji liked just enough milk to cool it down. “Think of all the blood pressure medications you must sell.” He didn't mention that some of the oldest members of the council were actually his best allies for this, given many had been appointed by Danzo and thus were all for anything that made the genin more efficient. It was the people Kakashi's age they had to worry about.

 

Shikamaru gave a short laugh at that, at least and Neji smirked as he fetched the milk from the fridge. Pouring it and stashing it back in it's spot, he reentered the living room where Shikamaru was not working on his own stuff. Instead he was reading Neji's student's files.

 

“Only one clan,” Shikamaru said, sounding impressed. “Two boys though. Rumour has it that'll be rare this year.”

 

“Very,” Neji confirmed, taking a seat across from Shikamaru and sliding the mug toward him. “Kurenai has two boys, most have only one and Kiba's got none at all.”

 

“Really? Who did he take?”

 

“Suzume, Yūhi Beniko and Hijiri Kenan,” Neji said. He'd originally wanted Hijiri himself, actually, but had taken Gekkō when it was pointed out kenjutsu users were few and far between, and Neji at least had experience in training them. Shikamaru gave a short laugh at the list.

 

“Has he met their parents?” he asked. “Yūhi Hiodoshi's temper is a nightmare times ten and Shimon is so high strung he could be a circus prop.” Neji scoffed at the description.

 

“I guess that is why Kurenai didn't want her clan mate, then,” he said. “But I'll have you know Hyūga Chizue is a lovely woman.”

 

“Suzume-chan's dad?”

 

Neji shrugged. “Can't recall his name,” Neji admitted and shrugged off Shikamaru's answering snicker, grabbing his two free files. “Now, is there a reason for your snooping beyond the obvious?”

 

“I'm being helpful, of course,” Shikamaru said. “Have you thought about how you'll test them?”

 

Neji had, and scrapped it. “I'm deciding.”

 

“What did Gai do? I know Kakashi's bell test is about team work. I'm going to go out on a limb and say Gai's wasn't the same,” he smirked. “That or he took pity on you three.”

 

“I will have you know our team work was remarked upon,” Neji said, sniffing. He didn't mention that it was only remarked upon after their showing at the chūnin exams. Shikamaru's smirk said he knew all the same. “If you must know, he tested for dedication.”

 

Shikamaru's smirk shifted into something that was more like a smile. “Asuma tested for adaptability,” he said and Neji nodded.

 

“Well you'd have failed for sure if he tried your dedication,” he teased. Shikamaru glared over his coffee mug, finally judging his cool enough to drink from. “And passed too easily if he tried for team-cohesiveness.” The crinkle of Shikamaru's eyes softened some, and Neji offered his own tiny smile back.

 

“That give you any ideas? Apparently it can't include too much bodily harm.”

 

“Kurenai and Iwashi laid down the ground rules quite thoroughly,” Neji said. Shikamaru passed back his last folder and turned back to his own work. “Who suggested cutting the fūinjutsu classes?”

 

“Not cutting entirely,” Shikamaru said. “They just want to cut it to two hours a week starting at age ten.”

 

“Two?” Neji asked, genuinely taken aback. He flipped through the academy teachers Shino hated, which wasn't a short list. “Yamanaka, right?”

 

“Bingo,” Shikamaru said. “I love Ino but god some of her cousins are complete morons. Yamanaka Yukiko's son is in the Barrier squad right now, but with students coming out that actually know fūinjutsu and aren't complete morons he'll lose that the second an interested genin makes chūnin. Maybe even sooner, depending on if he fucks up any more than he already has.”

 

Neji shook his head, hand creeping forward to take on of Shikamaru's papers. Shikamaru wordlessly pushed it toward him while ruthlessly scratching something out. Neji smirked at that, signing the top of the paper. Even if he didn't have a test yet, he could at least write his team request. Taking a sip of his coffee he winced at the taste, and started.

 

* * *

 

The Hokage's tower was never not busy, but graduation was always another step up on the anarchy scale. The academy teachers had a week without students before the year restarted, and thus were scrambling to put in any reforms they could. The potential jōnin mentors, all ten of them, were there and sleep deprived, and then there was the usual stream of workers, council members, messengers and various ninja.

 

Neji left Shikamaru with the academy teachers, where his incredibly annoyed lover was tearing a new strip off them while Shino and Iruka smirked, and joined Kiba, Kurenai and Shimura Ayako in the Hokage's waiting room.

 

“-tweaked it a bit from last year,” Kiba was saying while Kurenai read over what must have been his test proposal. “Ino had some input, apparently that,” he pointed to something, “is somethin' Asuma-sensei was fond of.”

 

“He was,” Kurenai said, a smile playing on her lips. “Ask Shikamaru about it some time.”

 

“Is it the clone trick?” Neji asked, “if so, don't ask him. He won't shut up unless you know what to do.”

 

“What do you do?” Shimura asked and Kiba scoffed.

 

“I'm a married man and ain't interested in battling Hyūga for Shikamaru's ass besides,” he said and Shimura flushed scarlet.

 

“You're not getting anywhere near my ass,” was Shikamaru's reply from behind the Inuzuka. Kiba pulled a face and then replaced it with a smirk.

 

“You sure? Ino's got a lot of compliments about my to-”

 

“Kiba,” Kurenai said as Shimura's flush deepened and the Inuzuka's mouth snapped shut. A moment later, the door to Kakashi's office opened and his secretary peered out.

 

“Jōnin mentors, please,” he said coming out. “Anyone here about the academy follow me,” he dimpled at them, “there's coffee.”

 

“Thank the kami,” Shikamaru said and Neji nudged him and raised an eyebrow.

 

“You've already had most of a pot,” he said, “don't.” Shikamaru wrinkled his nose.

 

“Bossy, troublesome Hyūga,” he grumbled and Neji just rolled his eyes.

 

“Ridiculous Nara,” he replied before following the Anko into Kakashi's office.

 

* * *

 

Neji wasn't a fan of naps, being a diagnosed insomniac from the age of nine, but there were times even he could hit the pillow and be dead to the world. Which was why he was woken up by Shikamaru at eleven thirty, and instead of fully waking up pulled the Nara down on top of him.

 

“Did you win your fight?” Neji asked and Shikamaru chuckled, wriggling to get more comfortable. Neji only shifted enough to keep from getting an elbow in any place elbows were likely to cause pain, otherwise keeping Shikamaru close.

 

“I did,” Shikamaru said, and Neji felt his smirk as Shikamaru buried his face in Neji's neck. “Shino and Iruka backed me, so did Gai. I think Kakashi just pulled me in so he could have the heavy hitters in the non-stupid camp.”

 

Neji ran the hand not pinned under Shikamaru's body through Shikamaru's hair, twisting gently until thick, layered strands came free. Shikamaru nuzzled further into Neji's neck at the feeling, humming as Neji's gently massaged his scalp. Silence reigned for a while, and Shikamaru's breath evened out enough Neji thought the other might be asleep, but Shikamaru spoke once Neji's hand fell away.

 

“So you're going to be a jōnin sensei,” Shikamaru said. “And I'm going to get an advisory position foisted on me sooner or later.”

 

“Looks like it,” Neji said. “Do you know anything more than that?”

 

“Well Gai does a lot right now, and Sakura does everything involving medics. I'm guessing I'll be conscripted into something involving international politics, or at least out-of-village politics.”

 

“Maybe you're getting something ambassadorial?” Neji guessed, “though it would conflict with your clan head duties terribly.”

 

“Nothing like that,” Shikamaru said, and then pressed a kiss to Neji's neck. “You'll be a good teacher.”

 

“Maybe,” Neji asid. “They might not even pass.”

 

“Still,” Shikamaru said, pressing another kiss to Neji's neck. “You'll get a team some day.”

 

“Heaven forbid,” Neji said, pressing his own kiss to the first piece of skin he found. Shikamaru looked up at that, and Neji pressed another kiss to his nose. “I can't tell where this is going,” Neji said and Shikamaru's eyes creased in a smile.

 

“Wise words, Hyūga. Wise words.”

**Author's Note:**

> 'Planning' is loose, but there were reports made! Neji's test, for those wondering, is a test of perception. Looking underneath the underneath. It's very Kakashi Approved, even if there aren't any bells involved. Also Shikamaru with reading glasses **Fight me**


End file.
